“States that are built on a religious foundation limit their own people in a circle of faith and fear.”
- Raif Badawi, ‘1,000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think’
I have wanted to use this particular Raif Badawi quote for some time now. For those who do not know who Raif Badawi is, here is a primer from Amnesty International UK:
“It’s been one year since Raif Badawi was flogged 50 times for championing free speech and encouraging debate about reform on his blog, Saudi Arabian Liberals. That flogging was the first in a sentence of 1,000 lashes that still hangs over him – alongside a decade in prison, a fine of 1 million riyal (over a quarter of a million US dollars), and an outright ban on using media or travelling abroad for 10 years following his decade in prison.
“Raif’s flogging took place just days after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, when the world’s media was focused on the issue of free speech. And Raif’s flogging on the streets of Jeddah was bookended by gross hypocrisy from the Saudi Arabian regime, who had been quick to condemn the Paris attacks; that weekend saw the Saudi Arabian ambassador to France took to the streets of Paris to show solidarity with the victims of the Hebdo attacks at a march that celebrated free speech.
“Meanwhile, the vicious cruelty of Raif’s punishment for the ‘crime’ of speaking out propelled his case into headlines around the world, and put the repressive tactics of authorities in Saudi Arabia under the spotlight.”
Raif is one type of dissident that a theocratic Islamic state creates. The better-known types are the ones who behead people and claim that they are freedom fighters of some sort. Of course, ultimately it comes back to the kind of Islam that the House of Saud exports. The kind of Islam that nurtures corrupt kleptocratic regimes, which in turn chokes their citizens until a breaking point is reached. Then numerous terrorist cells claim jihad for a better tomorrow under a “true” Islamic state.
I quote Raif because in time when things get bad, I hope there are more Raifs in our failed state than the other types of dissidents. Of course, condemning young people to the fate of Raif is a horrible thought but the only rational outcome for those who truly wish to be free from the shackles of a religious state.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom’s intention for the Umno state to crack down on religious pluralism because of late “there were numerous organised efforts being carried out to challenge the freedom allowed in Islam” should get folks worried but will probably end up lost in the throwaway news cycle of social media. Apparently, there are easier things to be outraged at.
What exactly does “freedom allowed in Islam” mean? My own thinking is that the way Islam is defined by the Umno state, “freedom” means freedom to curtail the rights enshrined in our constitution. “Freedom” means the freedom to not enforce secular laws when it comes to conflict with Islamic laws. Freedom means the freedom to impose religious edicts on non-Muslims because the religious sensitivities of Muslims are paramount. Freedom means the freedom to restrict laws that make it easier for the citizenry of this country to express their opinions and dissent in a very public manner...